Snapshots
by Jazz Lolipop
Summary: Snapshots of Jess and Rory's life together. Featuring love, family, townspeople, a wedding, pregnancy, children and their forever.
1. Belonging

The girl smiled and walked into her favourite shop in the whole world. Mariano's; a small independent bookstore in New York City. An old fashioned bell jingled when the door opened and the girl stepped into the cool interior. The walls were a light beige colour with a dark wooden trim and there were matching wooden shelves lined up, all full to the brim with books. Squishy armchairs were strategically placed in between the shelves with small tables for you to place your coffee mug. Along the back wall ran a long wooden counter. On one side was an old fashioned cash registrar similar to one in a diner in a small town known as Stars Hollow. Along the rest of the counter were several bar stools for customers to sit and drink a cup of coffee from one of the multicoloured cups along the wall behind the counter, maybe discuss literature with the shop owner.

The owner was at the moment sitting behind the counter scribbling away, his curly black head bent over a notebook. The girl walked straight up to him and asked; "Excuse me, but do you stock the Fountainhead?"

Jess's head jerked up and his dark eyes met the startling blue ones. He grinned and leant across the counter to kiss her. Rory responded eagerly. "I'm terribly sorry ma'am, but I don't stock the work of but cases."

"Really!" Rory shot back, a smile dancing on her lips, "But I have noticed that you have Jess Marino's book!"

Jess grinned. "I'm just about to close up. You coming up?" Rory nodded and waved a rental bag in the air before disappearing upstairs to the apartment above. The apartment contained nearly as many books as the shop downstairs. The largest wall in the living room was devoted entirely to books, shelves reaching from floor to ceiling. Rory chucked her bag on the floor near the sofa and turned on the TV and put in her boyfriend's favourite film.

Jess watched the credits of Almost Famous roll on the screen and played idly with Rory's hair where she lay, sprawled across his chest. She sighed contentedly. "Move in with me." He said softly.

Rory sat up and stared at him, "Are you serious?"

"As a heart attack." He replied. "Why not? You're over here all the time anyway, you sleep here practically every night, all of your books that I don't already have copies of and some that I do are here, it's nearer to your work and… y'know… I want you to live with me."

Rory just looked at him. "Huh." She said. He frowned his brows a little and she grinned before launching herself at him and catching his lips in a fierce kiss. "I'm gonna call Mom right now!" she said excitedly and clambered off the sofa and towards the phone. Dialling the number she grinned at Jess, "Mom!"

"Offspring!" Lorelai cheered down the phone. "It's nearly midnight! Whadya want?"

"I'm moving in with Jess!!" She squealed excitedly.

"Oh I see, living in sin are we?"

Jess grinned.

_A week or so later…_

Jess smiled sleepily at Rory. He loved morning. He adored waking up next to someone e loved everyday. And he was growing curiously fond of the t-shirt her mother and bought her. Rory slept in it every night. It proclaimed; "LIVING IN SIN" in hot pink letters.


	2. Shopping

Rory lay warm in bed, in that beautiful place halfway between sleep and waking. She was just about aware enough to realise how comfortable she was and the warmth Jess was emitting by her side. She shifted to look at him. His eyes were closed, his thick lashes almost brushing his cheeks. Content, she wormed her way closer to him. He responded by reaching out an arm and pulling her towards his body. Rory twisted into him and rested her head on his shoulder. They lay there for a while not saying anything just breathing gently in unison and smiling.

"We need to go shopping." Rory mumbled, "We are running dangerously low on coffee."

"What, only enough to last a year?" Jess joked and ruffled her hair but made no move to get up.

Rory sat up and swung her legs over the bed sitting half tangled in sheets trying to muster up the commitment to actually stand. She was half way through thinking seriously about it when a lean tan arm snaked its way around her waist and pulled her back down. Jess kissed her hard and all thoughts of getting up vanished.

***

Rory sighed and then crumpled her brow thinking. "I was getting up! You distracted me!"

Jess grinned rakishly "Hey, I take full credit for that distraction!"

Rory hit him playfully, "We really do need to go to the shops you know, we don't have anything to eat."

Jess scoffed, "We have loads! We have rice and pasta and salad, chicken and fish and potatoes and we have some of that frozen pizza you like."

Rory looked incredulously at him, "Like I said we have nothing! No marshmallows, no popcorn, not chocolate, no poptarts! It's a wonder we haven't just dies from malnutrition."

Jess rolled over so he was hovering above her, "Do… we…. really… really… need… any… of …that …stuff?" he punctuated his words with a kiss on her neck after each one. Rory sighed and smiled up at the ceiling.

Suddenly Jess was not there. He had rolled over, jumped up and was halfway to the bathroom in one smooth movement. Rory moaned at the loss of warmth and stood up herself. She stretched languidly and looked around for her dressing gown. A low wolf whistle jerked her awake. Jess was watching her from the bathroom doorway. She threw a sock at him and he shut the door quickly. "Perv!"

***

Rory leaned against the trolley comparing two brands of shampoo, a bottle of hair gel sailed over her shoulder and landed in her trolley. "Oh come on! Full marks for the hair gel!" Jess rounded the corner, "And I was on the other side of the shelves which means extra points!" Rory grinned up at him.

Jess smirked back and followed her into the cakes section. His hand rested gently in the small of her back and Rory smiled softly to herself. It was something Jess did. He enjoyed contact between the two of them, it was an unconscious thing that he did when they were together. Whether it was a hand in the small of her back or their fingers interlaced as they walked or him planting a kiss on the back of her neck when she reached up for a bag of marshmallows on a higher shelf. There was a small giggle and he turned around, two teenage girls were watching him, they jerked around the corner when he looked up and he heard one say to the other "They're just sooooooo cute!" he sighed.

Rory looked at him, "What was that?"

"We have attracted an audience, apparently the girls in the next aisle think we're 'cute'." He put the speech marks around cute with his fingers. In the next aisle there was another high giggle.

Rory moved two boxes and peeked through, "Thanks for the compliment girls, but I should warn you this guys taken!" the girls giggled again and blushed red.

Rory grinned up at Jess, "Crisis averted, now there will be no double homicide in the cereal aisle."

Jess laughed, "Well it may have got to that, cute just doesn't fit in with my James Dean look. One must protect ones reputation."

Rory reached up and kissed him gently. He put his arms around her waist and pulled her closer. There was a disapproving clucking noise. Two old women with baskets full of cat food were glaring at them, "Just not necessary…" one muttered to the other.

Jess rolled his eyes to Rory, "Can a guy not kiss his girlfriend without all passer-bys commenting!"

Rory grinned, "We're all done here. Lets pay and get out."

"Well they get so annoyed when you don't pay."

Rory nodded, "It's just not necessary!"


	3. Secrets

**Secrets**

Rory had stuck the glow in the dark stars to the ceiling above their bed, they were lying watching them shine in the semi darkness of the apartment. "Tell me something," She whispered, "Something I don't know about you."

Jess shuffled into his pillow and looked pensive; "Ok, here goes… It wasn't a football."

"What?" Rory asked.

"It was a swan."

"Jess, you're not making any sense."

"The black eye I had that night at your Grandma's. I got beaked by a swan." He sounded embarrassed.

Rory tried really hard to keep a straight face and failed abysmally. "Sorry!" she gasped between peals of laughter. Jess looked at her with his puppy dog eyes. "I'm so sorry! Just…beaked….ha!" She lapsed into giggles again.

"Ok, ok!" Jess said when she had finally quietened. "It's hilarious! Your turn."

Rory sighed, "Alright. Your car got devil egged yeah?" Jess grunted in reply, "It was me and mom!"

"I knew it! You know it took me ages to clean that thing up!"

Rory grinned sheepishly, "Sorry! Ok your go."

"When I went to California I slept with a copy of the Fountainhead in my hand for months." Jess whispered. Rory sensed his seriousness.

"When you helped me with the water sprinklers and you got all wet, I though you were the sexiest thing I had ever seen in my life."

"Pretty much as soon as I met you I dreamt about you every night and when I wasn't dreaming about you I was dreaming about punching Dean repeatedly."

"I never felt as loved as I did when your lips were on mine, and even when I kissed Logan or Dean no matter how happy I was there was always this kind of twinge."

"I can still remember your home number, your pager number and your mobile number from when we were dating and the notes I wrote for you in Howl."

"I don't like reading books that don't have at least one note in the margin, I always put one in."

"I never, ever stopped loving you."

"I always hoped that I would meet you in every book store I went into and when I see your book on a shelf my heart stops."

"The first thing I did in Stars Hollow was steal Babbetts gnome. And then when I had been gone for about a year I ordered another one for her from a catalogue and had it mailed to her."

Rory looked at him, "Why?"

"Wanted to."

Rory snuggled closer to him, "When I kissed you at the wedding I knew exactly what I was doing, it wasn't an accident. I really wanted to kiss you and I wouldn't have stopped but the lists popped up in my head."

"Yet another reason for me to detest those lists."

"Don't make fun of my lists!"

"I wouldn't dare," Jess feigned terror, "I value my life too much."

Rory grinned, "I wrote you an invitation to my Yale graduation but I didn't ever pluck up the nerve to post it."

Jess pushed himself up on one elbow so he was on his side facing her, Rory mirrored him. Jess looked deep into her eyes and felt himself falling again. He took a deep breath and said softly, "I want to marry you Gilmore."

Rory's eyes widened. "What?" she mumbled, her lips felt numb.

"I want to marry you, I want to have kids with you and grow old with you and I've had a ring in my sock drawer for about a month."

Rory's face lit up, "Jess I love you so much! I'd love to marry you!"

For once he was speechless then he pulled her to him and kissed her deeply. He's always thought it was weird the words people chose to describe kisses, but this kiss was in a whole league of it's own, it burned with passion but was at the same time incredibly tender and loving. They pulled apart eventually, "Do you want to see it?" She nodded. He reached out and pulled a simple blue velvet box out of his drawer and handed it to her. With trembling fingers she opened the box. "We can get another one is you want. If you don't like that one… I mean you should be allowed to chose it really…I…"

Rory shushed him and gazed down at the box. Nestled on silvery, blue satin sat the most beautiful ring she could ever have imagined. It was a slim silver band with a single diamond set in the ring; the gem sparkled with a million rainbows. She held it up and the light glinted revealing a twisting vine around the band etched with perfect little leaves.

"Jess…" she breathed. "It's beautiful."

"Yeah?" he whispered back.

"Do I have to put it on myself?" she looked at him form underneath her think lashes.

"I could do that." He gently slid the ring onto her left hand, it fit perfectly. In a surprisingly tender gesture he kissed it and then her hand and then her palm and each individual fingertip.

Rory smiled and pulled his lips up to hers. "I love you." He breathed against her mouth. And she kissed him again. Nothing was like kissing Jess, he was passionate and loving and unbelievably cherishing. He tasted of coffee and something rich and warm, something one hundred percent Jess. And now Rory detected something new in his kiss.

She tasted forever.


	4. Grandparents

"C'mon! We can still leave! I just won't turn right here and we could be somewhere totally different!" he looked hopefully over to her, "Won't that be fun!"

"There's no getting out of this Mariano, just be a big boy and I'll give you a lollipop at the end." Jess grimaced and pulled into the perfectly manicured drive. Rory got out of the car and Jess took a deep breath. Then another…and another…

Rory tapped on the window impatiently. He sighed and pulled himself out of the car. They were standing in front of the door, really intimidating doors Jess thought now he looked at them, she was about to ring the doorbell when he grabbed her wrist in one final desperate attempt. "You still owe me an egg roll!"

"What?" Rory said looking every confused.

"You still owe me an egg roll! And you still have to make it up to me for reading the entire Fountainhead! You swore! So here's the deal; we skip out of this one and we can call it quits!?" Jess grinned hopefully at her.

"Nice try." She scoffed. "You could at least tuck your shirt in you know."

Jess balked. "You made me wear a tie! I refuse point blank to tuck in my shirt, I need a teeny tiny bit of rebellion you know… town hoodlum and all. It's a title that comes with certain responsibilities." Rory nodded along and inching slowly towards him then she darted forwards and rang the bell. Jess stared shocked at her. "That was sneaky Agent Gilmore!"

Rory smiled innocently up at him. And then the door opened.

With the air of one walking to the gallows Jess entered the fancy hallway. Emily Gilmore smiled frostily at him. "Jess, it's been so long. I must say you look much better then the last time a saw you."

Jess cranked up the charm and smiled back at her "Not having a humungous black eye will do that to a face."

Richard stepped forward, "We haven't met before I believe."

Rory smiled at her grandfather, "Grandpa, this is Jess Mariano, Jess this is my grandfather Richard Gilmore."

Jess shook Richards hand warmly, "It's nice to meet you, sir." Emily sniffed and led them into the living room. Rory slipped her fingers into Jess's and squeezed gently, he smiled and squeezed back. Lorelai smiled ruefully up at them as they took their seats on the opposite sofa Luke nodded at Jess and pulled at his tie uncomfortably.

"Can I get you two drinks?" Richard asked from the drinks bar.

"Wine would be great thanks." Rory said.

"Just water please, sir." Jess said uncharacteristically politely. "I'm driving." He said in answer to Emily's odd look. Richard placed the two glasses down on the table.

They had just taken their first sips when a new maid entered and declared dinner. Rory and Jess took their seats opposite Luke and Lorelai. They had barely started on the salad when Emily started. "So Jess…where did you go to college?"

Rory felt Jess stiffen and was about to speak when Jess put down his fork and looked her grandmother straight in the eye. "I didn't go to college."

"You didn't go to college?!" Emily repeated as though she had not heard properly.

"No." Jess replied. "I went to Venice Beach to get to know my dad, and while I was away I took night classes to get my GED. I was working full time."

"Where were you working?" Emily asked.

"Wal-Mart." Jess answered curtly. "I started on the stock floor and worked up to management in a few months. And then I kept that job to pay for me to take night classes at a college."

"What did you study, Jess?" it was Richard this time, he was not being rude but seemed honestly interested.

"World Literature." Jess said. Richard looked impressed, "It was fairly easy, I'd already read most of the books on the syllabus."

"And what do you do now Jess?" Emily cut in looking daggers at Richard.

Rory beat Jess to it, "Jess owns a bookstore, and he writes." She said proudly.

Richard looked very excited now, "You write? Have you published anything?"

Jess looked down at his bread, he wasn't one to brag and answered almost shyly, "I published one a few years ago, and my next two are being looked over by a few publishing houses."

Rory pulled a small black book out of her bag, "I thought you might like to read Jess's book Grandpa, so I brought along a copy for you." She beamed at Jess.

Emily looked like she was sucking a particularly sour lemon. "But why did you leave in the first place Jess?"

"Grandma!" Rory said.

"Mom!" Lorelai interjected, "Quit with the Spanish Inquisition!"

But Jess just looked at her very calmly and said slowly. "Because I was scared." Rory swung her head around and stared at him.

"Really Jess, you don't have to tell her anything."

"It's alright Rory." He said. "I left to see my dad, I had flunked out of high school and I was disappointing my only true family. So I ran. It may seem cowardly but for a guy whose mother was, and still is really, a complete whack job, who had never known his real dad and who was actually properly frightened of the world for the first time ever I didn't know what else to do."

Emily looked ashamed, "I regret leaving." Jess continued, "But this was I got to know my dad, I got to know my little sister, well step-sister, Lily and Sasha, her mom, she really helped. It got to were I am, we all make mistakes right?"

Lorelai grinned at her mum, "Yeah, like buying a plane…"

The rest of the meal passed fairly amicably, well as amicably as could be expected. Emily was very quiet for the rest of the meal and seemed reluctant to make eye contact with anyone at the table. Richard was sharing his knowledge on business with Jess and Luke, who were doing their best to look marginally interested.

They went back into the living room for coffee and cake and Lorelai cleared her throat looking meaningfully at Rory. Rory swallowed and smiled at Jess who grinned back and nodded. "Grandma, Grandpa, I've got some pretty big news. Uh, Jess and I… Well… We…"

Jess cut through her stammering, "Are you always this articulate Rory? We're getting married." Rory smiled widely and held up her hand, the single diamond shimmering in the muted light.

Lorelai squealed excitedly. "Isn't it great Mom?"

Emily looked from the ring on Rory's finger to Jess, back to the ring and then to her own daughter. "You knew about this? And you didn't tell us?"

Lorelai suddenly looked serious, "Rory wanted to tell you herself, Mom, I seem to recall your dislike of hearing family news second hand."

Richard jumped up and pulled Rory into a tight hug, "Well! Well! This is wonderful!" he extended a hand to Jess who shook it, "I am so pleased for the both of you. So, so pleased."

Emily looked hard at the couple and then pulled them both into a hug. Jess grimaced at his uncle over his grandmother-in-law-to-be's shoulder. Emily released the two of them and Jess winced slightly as his now bruised ribs inflated with air, then Emily began talking a mile a minute to her granddaughter and daughter about plans and dates and dresses and flowers.

Rory explained as best she could that they hadn't settled on a date yet, no they didn't want her to book The Plaza they had decided to marry in Stars Hollow the little town that had thrown them together in the first place, they didn't need any money from them, but, oh… well that's very generous but…

Jess watched happily as his fiancée, wow he liked that word, battled with her grandmother. Luke came up behind him. "I'm really happy for you Jess." Jess grinned and hugged his uncle who returned it somewhat awkwardly. "You do realise though don't you that she's gonna have you wrapped around her little finger for the rest of your life now."

Jess smirked, "She's had be wrapped around her finger since we first met to be perfectly honest."


	5. Town

The town

Rory crept back into the apartment above Luke's diner that she and Jess were staying in for the weekend. Jess's shirt and tie from last night were scattered across the floor, her high heels positioned perilously close to the door. At the moment all that could be seen of Jess was a blanket covered lump and a mop of dark curls on a pillow. Rory placed the small plate on the side table and slipped under the covers. She snuggled into Jess's form enjoying the warmth he emitted. Jess gave a small squeak and pulled his legs up. "What?" Rory whispered.

"Your feet are freezing!" he hissed. Rory giggled and tousled his already scruffy hair affectionately.

"I've got you a present." She said. His head popped up and he eyed her quizzically.

"What?" She reached behind her and pulled the plate into view. He smiled sleepily. "An egg-roll." She nodded. "Thank you."

"Oh, and the Fountainhead…" Rory just smiled again, but it was a different smile, more sensual and slow. It made Jess's stomach perform somersaults. Even all these years later she still had the exact same affect on him that she had had on him when they were just kids. She leaned over and kissed him gently on the lips, he deepened it eagerly and she smiled against his lips. She pulled her head back and before he could complain began to kiss his neck, she paid particular attention to the point were his pulse thrummed visibly against his skin. Jess let out a sigh and Rory went back to his lips. He threaded his fingers into her long, soft hair. They were kissing passionately when a loud, "Are you up yet?!" sounded from the diner below them.

Jess made a low sound of disappointment and muttered, "Right on time Uncle Luke."

Rory giggled. "Déjà vu, right? Maybe we need a system." Jess smirked and nodded.

"Put it on the back burner, we've got bigger fish to fry. Ok." He said staring up at the ceiling, "We need a battle plan to break it to the town about us. Your mom hasn't already told everyone has she?"

Rory shook her head, "No, I made her swear on her coffee machine. What we really need to figure out is whether we want to start with Babette and Miss Patty and let them do all the leg work or work our way up to them so they can't gossip to anyone."

Jess frowned, "Urgh, this crazy town, look lets… lets just walk around town this afternoon all couple-ish and let the psychotic townspeople figure it out themselves."

Rory laughed, "They'll probably have a whole town meeting devoted to that alone."

Jess sighed, "I missed this place though."

Rory smiled, "Oh yeah?"

"Yup." He smiled popping the 'p'.

"I've got to go over to Mom's she wants to start the wedding preparations. Dresses and flowers etc, etc. So, can we schedule the walking around couple-ish-ly for this afternoon?"

"I'll see you then! I think I'll go to the bridge; I've got to edit my editors editing. Honestly! The man shouldn't be allowed near manuscripts. I hate having to compromise when it comes to my book."

Rory rolled out of the bed and made for the bathroom, "Don't pent it all up Jess, let the ranting commence." She said sarcastically.

"Oh ho!" Jess arched a brow at her and mimed picking up a phone, "Hello kettle? You're black!"

Rory put a hand over her heart, "I don't know what you could possibly mean!"

"Says the Queen of Rants."

"Oi! Behave! Or I'll have you beheaded!"

Jess smirked and gave an exaggerated bow, "Your loyal servant, Majesty."

Rory tapped him playfully, "And don't you forget it!"

***

"So, do you want to buy the dress? Or do you want me to make it? 'Cos you know I can do that, sweets! I was thinking actually… simple, yeah, nothing fancy. Long skirt, flaring a little but not too much! Matching satin bodice and little sleeves of organza..." Lorelai was already off in her head, measuring and sewing. OR! Or! We could go for, like a Jane Austen style dress! Very Pride and Prejudice… with the high waistline…"

"I'd love you to make the dress Mom!" Rory squealed as soon as her mother took a breath and hugged her, "But no Jane Austen… Jess isn't her biggest fan. Will you have time? I mean we're getting married in about three months…"

"Loadsa time! Please! You are talking to the woman who, single handed may I add, sewed all the curtains for the Inn!"

"Yeah but you were up for…" Rory started to say but then Babette hurtled into the kitchen.

"Sugar! You'll never guess who I just saw coming outta Luke's!" She didn't wait for them to guess, "Jess! That good for nothing hoodlum!"

Rory smiled softly, "I know he's here Babette."

"You've seen him already? Oh sugar!"

Lorelai rolled her eyes at Rory, "Yeah, actually we came together." Rory said.

Babette didn't seem to have heard, "That bastard! You know he reminds me…Wait. What?"

Rory sighed there went the battle plan. "Jess and I have been together for nearly a year."

"Together? Like together together?" Rory nodded and held up her left hand. "Holy cripes!" Babette cried grabbing her hand and examining the ring, she then hit Lorelai on the shoulder.

"Ow! What was that for?"

"You knew and you didn't tell me!" Babette cried then she turned her attention back to Rory. "So sugar, are you getting hitched in town? You just wait till I tell Patty, I always knew deep down that the kid would turn out alright if you were with him!" Rory and Lorelai exchanged glances.

Babette finally left and Rory followed soon after, her feet trod the familiar path to their bridge and she saw him sitting at the end of it his feet dangling over the edge his head bent over a notebook.

"Hi." She said softly as she lowered herself down next to him.

"Hey." He said back, "This joker wants me to get rid of nearly half of chapter eight."

"You're kidding!" Rory said shocked, "I loved that entire chapter!"

Jess laughed, "Yes, but you're hardly an impartial judge are you?"

Rory looked affronted, "I would NEVER let any personal feelings affect the way I read a book."

"But you never gave good ol' Hemmingway another shot, and as you know Ernest has only lovely things to say about you."

"So… Babette noticed you were back in town." Jess groaned. "And now the entire town know." He groaned again. "Well, we couldn't exactly have kept it a secret; they may have noticed when I started walking around in a long white dress!"

"I could have distracted them somehow."

"What? Another fake murder?"

"Fake? No this time I was thinking of really committing to it."

"If you get yourself arrested before the wedding I may never forgive you."

Jess gave a gusty sigh, "Alright."

Rory smiled and picked up the manuscript he had been scribbling on. She turned to the front page and her heart stopped when she read the dedication.

To my wife.

"Jess!" he looked over to her and saw what she was pointing at.

"Oh, yeah."

"But, Jess, we'd only just started going out when you wrote this!" She fixed him with her deep sapphire eyes.

"Well… I'd really always known you were… y'know, the girl who I wanted to… the woman I…" Rory saved him from his stammering by kissing him softly on the lips. He entwined their fingers together and stroked the back of her hand with his thumb.

"I don't think I've ever seen you stammer before." She said laughingly, Jess also grinned at the memory. "It's entertaining."

"Oh yeah?"

"Mmmm hmmmm." She smiled and let her head rest against his shoulder. Jess smiled, this town certainly had grown on him.


	6. Society

It was two weeks until the wedding. Rory's dress was almost finished and hung in her mothers room at the back of the wardrobe, the flowers had been ordered, Sookie was excitedly planning the menu, Lane was manically collecting together every single song she could think of and the wedding was in everybody's lips in town. Miss Patty and Babette were furiously swapping rumours, the groom was arriving on a Harley, the bride was going to have trained doves to hold her veil, and the mother of the bride was planning to slip sleeping pills into the bride and grooms cake to prevent any wedding night 'action' on taking place. OK, so the last one was a little more fact based than the others, but Rory and Jess had already visited every drug store in a four miles radius and informed them that on no terms were they to sell any form of pill to this woman until after the day of the wedding and given them a photograph.

Taylor had put up posters proclaiming that on the day of the wedding the old fashioned ice cream parlour and candy shop was be giving out half price special bride sundaes! Jess and Luke had gone on the rampage pulling down every single poster they could find, then _someone_, and Rory had a pretty good idea who, had gone around town in the dead of night and put up dozens of posters saying;

Town Princess to marry Town Hooligan!

No one had taken them down.

Lorelai was sitting at the kitchen table when they walked in. She didn't look up at them just continued to look horrified at the phone in her hand. "Mom?" Rory said uncertainly laying a hand on her shoulder.

Lorelai flung herself into her daughter's arms, "Oh! Offspring how will you ever forgive me?"

Rory looked at Jess who was looking just as confused as she felt and staring at her mother like she was a time bomb about to go off. "I tried, darling! I tried my very hardest but that woman is like a phone talking mastermind!"

"Mom, what are you on about?"

Lorelai looked down at her shoes, "Um… this Saturday night you and I, and Luke and Jess are attending a party celebrating the engagement Miss Lorelai Gilmore and Mr Jess Mariano."

"We're what!?!" Jess howled.

"Hey mister! I'm just as torn up about this as you are! Maybe more as I am the one who spent a significant portion of my life trying to avoid these little social gatherings. And I failed!" she threw herself once more at Rory who nearly buckled under her force, "I'm a failure Rory! Oh!"

And so Wednesday morning found Lorelai, Luke, Rory and Jess in Hartford sitting in the Gilmore's living room being eyed over by Miss Celine. Jess sat next to Rory and had taken her hand Rory sensed it was more out of real fear than intimacy at that moment. Miss Celine was decked head to foot in glittering black, her neck draped with ropes and ropes of pearls and a new pink turban sitting on her hair this time with a large purple feather swooping back over her head. Rory had walked in towing a sullen Jess and Miss Celine had exclaimed; "Sabrina! Darling! How good it is to see you again! And Natalie! Darlings! And you've brought two dashing gentlemen with you! Well now, let me have a look. Turn for me dears, turn, turn, turn."

Horrified Jess and Luke found themselves being spun around, "Oh yes!" Miss Celine said, "The dark one has excellent buttocks, he'll wear black very well indeed." Jess gaped at Rory, who just raised her eyes upwards and sighed.

Miss Celine turned her attention to 'Natalie' and Jess whispered to Rory, "I am NOT comfortable with that woman analysing my butt!"

Rory smiled softly, "What? She said it was a nice one!"

"Yeah, but I fell so exposed now! Why couldn't we just have picked out our own clothes?"

Rory rolled her eyes, "For such a prestigious event? No! Miss Celine is the keeper of the clothes, she's been Grandma and Grandpa's fashion co-ordinator for years, and she is like a million years old!" she whispered.

"Oh, Sabrina, this shade of blue would look just wonderful on you!" Miss Celine beckoned imperiously.

"Actually, Miss Celine," Lorelai said, "I thought Rory could wear red, if I could just show you something in the car I think you'd agree with me…"

Miss Celine raised an eyebrow, "You've got me intrigued, Natalie! I'll be right back dears; I want to see to you two gentlemen's suits."

Luke looked horrified at Jess and was about to speak when Emily glided down the stairs, "What do you think of this one… Oh where did Miss Celine go Rory?"

"Mom just wanted to show her something in the car, I don't know what is was, but wow Grandma, you look amazing!" Emily smiled at her granddaughter and twirled looking in the full length mirror admiring the way the dark material flowed around her ankles.

Miss Celine sashayed back into the room crying, "It will be just marvellous! Darling you have such a good eye! Ah! Now gentlemen, I have suits all prepared for you!"

***

Jess sighed again and pulled on the deep blue tie, a tie! And his shirt was tucked in! Well there went his reputation; right out of the window. Luke sidled in looking just as uncomfortable in his new suit, "You and Rory ready?"

"Rory?" Jess knocked on the bathroom door where Rory and her mother had been ensconced for the better part of two hours.

Lorelai slid out in a full length strapless dark blue gown and eyes Jess appreciatively, "Well, you scrub up nice." Jess nodded his thanks, "And Luke! Woweeee!" Luke shuffled his feet and mumbled something incomprehensible. "You look fab! Nearly as glam as our wedding!"

"You look stunning." He said simply and Lorelai beamed at him, they stared into each others eyes for a long moment.

Jess cleared his throat, they ignored him. "Hey guys, I'm as glad as the next guy that you two finally hooked up but if Rory and I ever get as smushy as you two, could one of you shoot me please?"

"I think it's sweet." Came Rory's voice from behind him. He turned around. And in his head a voice just started chanting, Wow. Wow. Wow. Wow. Wow.

Rory's hair had been pulled back into a bun though a few wisps of brown hair had already escaped and were framing her face. Her dress was red, deep red and ended at her knee. The skirt flowed from just above her waist and she wore a small cropped jacked with short sleeves of the same colour and material. Her eyes were darkly made up and glittered happily and once again Jess was falling, falling, falling into her pools of liquid sapphire.

Rory giggled and twirled around in her red ballet slippers. Jess just gaped at her and when she caught his eye she stopped and just smiled up at him from underneath her lashes. Lorelai crept up behind Jess and yelled in his eye; "BANG!"

Jess jumped at spun around to look at her confusion written right across his face. Luke and Lorelai were laughing and he scowled at them, "Shall we just get this over with?"

Luke tried to stifle his laughs as he led the way out onto the porch of their house and towards the car. Rory made to follow but Jess caught her wrist and held her for just a moment. "You look beautiful, Rory." She smiled and kissed him quickly.

Then Luke honked the horn and Lorelai leant out of the window and called, "Let's get this show on the road!"

They hurried down the steps and slipped into the backseat.

Richard and Emily Gilmore were stationed at the door of their house welcoming guests, they ushered Rory and her mother, Luke and Jess into the room and then Emily took it upon herself to introduce the happy couple to everyone in the room.

Jess entwined their fingers and Rory smiled, he always did this. "Do you know any of these people?"

Rory looked down, "I know a few. You know from the DAR and Logan's friends…" she drifted off uncomfortably.

"Right, of course." Jess looked down at her but she didn't raise her eyes to his, he tucked a finger under her chin and tilted her head gently, "Hey. Don't be ashamed."

"It was a stupid waste of my life Jess. You know it! I know it! You told me so."

"We all make mistakes right? I'm living proof of that! Now come on, if we mingle now we can leave early!" Jess tugged on her hand and lead her to her mother and Luke. "Ready to engage in some Olympic worthy mingling?" he asked the couple.

Lorelai nodded, "Whoever finds the most ridiculous person wins a prize! Meet back up here in an hour. Ready? Steady? Go!"

***

"The old woman who spent twenty minutes telling me in detail the pedigree of every single one of her poodles. Beginning with Chauncy and ending with Snuffles and Lady Everyington." Rory said triumphantly as the little group sat in a small circle of chairs in a corner sipping their drinks.

Jess smiled, "I think mines better; I found an old man who used an ear trumpet and thought I was a waiter, when he realised I wasn't hired help he got so apologetic he was trying to give me his estate in Sicily."

Lorelai gasped, "Why didn't you take it!"

"Because he thought I was a descendant of Napoleon!"

"How the hell did he jump to that conclusion?" Luke asked. Jess just shrugged a satisfied smile on his face.

"Luke?" Lorelai asked, "Who's your entrant."

"Well, I found this young woman, very pretty, talks at the speed of light and drinks inordinate amounts of coffee." Lorelai hit him lightly on the arm.

"Hey! That was just uncalled for!"

"Who did you find Mom?"

"Well, I've got a winner right here, I found Crystal!" They all just looked at her frowns on their faces. "Crystal, the girl who Jason went out with for a little while!"

Comprehension dawned on Rory, "The woman who has an aversion to underwear?"

"What?" Jess guffawed. While Lorelai nodded cheerfully.

"And that aversion still stands apparently."

Jess just stared at her, "Yeah, I think we've got a winner right there!"

Lorelai stood up and bowed. "Lorelai!" Emily's voice sounded out across the room.

Lorelai scowled, "Dammit! Never draw attention to yourself at functions! Come on Lorelai, you should know better!"

"The dancing is starting!" Emily cried, "Rory and Jess, you two have to start!"

Jess looked uncomfortable and Rory blustered, "Oh but really Grandma, I'm not the world best dancer and I don't think…."

"Nonsense!" Emily cut through. "The dance floor is just through there, go on!" she ushered them through the archway.

Jess and Rory stood awkwardly on the wooden floor as music swelled around them and people watched from the sidelines. Jess squared his shoulder and faced Rory, "Ok, so the music sucks but this'll either earn me brownie points with the Grandparents or make them demand that I never darken their doorway again and at the moment I'm not sure which I want more so here we go."

Tentatively he looped one arm around her waist and pulled her closer, she reached up and rested one hand on his shoulder and their other two hands merged together. Gently Jess began to sway to the music. Emily and Richard, Lorelai and Luke joined them. Emily and Richard danced a waltz like dance around them while Luke and Lorelai seemed to prefer the safer option that Jess was going for. Rory sighed and rested her head on his shoulder feeling his breath gently tickle her cheek. Other couples were on the dance floor now and the general attention seemed to have left them. Luke and Lorelai watched on however, and smiled.

"They love each other, don't they?" Lorelai whispered.

"Yeah." Luke answered happily. "I think they really love each other."

And Lorelai smiled for her daughter safe in the arms of the man who loved her.


	7. Wedding

Jess shifted uncomfortably on his seat at the bar. T.J, his breath smelling strongly of beer leaned over to him, "We should go to a strip joint!"

Jess inclined his head, "Y'know, I'd really rather not."

"Look! Here's a diagram on my Etch-a-sketch! That's you right there…"

"Wow, Jess, how could you possibly say no to _that_?" Luke asked sarcastically.

"And then we could hold hands and skip!" Jess retorted.

Chris and Matt shambled over to them. "You know, this bar is way better than the one we are not going to call Ceder Bar Redux."

"Jeez! Are you still on that?" Jess laughed, "It's been over a year! You know what… Luke and I are actually just going to go so…Don't let T.J. get too drunk and if you're late tomorrow I will personally never speak to you again." Jimmy jumped up to join Jess and Luke as they ducked out of the dark bar and headed towards the road. "I can't believe my mother married that." Jess sighed. Luke just nodded sympathetically and Jimmy tried not to attract attention.

Meanwhile in Rory's childhood home various women were sprawled over sofas and chairs giggling and watching old Audrey Hepburn movies and eating ice cream, pizza and Chinese food. Lane was painting Paris' nails a vibrant pink and Lorelai was fixing bendy curlers into Lily and April's hair and chatting with Sasha; unsurprisingly they got along famously. Liz was happily working the Sookie threading beads onto thread to make necklaces for all present and Rory was sitting on the sofa, a fluffy pink crown perched jauntily on her head, a wide grin on her face. It got later and Lane and Sookie drifted home to their significant others and offspring, Liz drove to the motel she and T.J were staying in and Sasha, April and Lily changed into their pyjamas and headed up to Lorelai's room where they were spending the night.

Rory and Lorelai fell into Rory's room. It was exactly the same as it had been when she was sixteen, but the shelves held fewer books as she had taken most of them with here and her bed had been swapped for a double. It meant that when Lorelai ignored the mattress on the floor and snuggled up to Rory there was a lot more space. Rory slipped into a restful sleep her huge grin still present on her face and her mother just lay in the darkness gazing at her daughter's face.

The next morning Rory was roused with very little ceremony by having a large, fluffy cushion propelled into her head from a few feet away. "Happy Wedding Day!" Lorelai cried excitedly. Lane, Paris and Sookie rang the doorbell and were let in by giddy Lily and April. Sasha stationed herself in the kitchen and began cooking up a huge breakfast of pancakes and hot chocolate and coffee. They all squished around the table in the kitchen and drank their drinks and ate their pancakes. Lorelai ran Rory a huge hot bubble bath and instructed her to stay in it until she was permitted to leave. "And you know pamper yourself with lotions and potions." Lane, Paris, Sasha and Lorelai then set about gathering all the equipment they needed in Rory's bedroom.

When Rory was finally summoned, wrapped in a fluffy dressing gown, pink faced and damp haired, her room resembled something from a glossy magazine. "Wow guys, what did you do empty out every beauty shop in Connecticut?"

Lorelai stood in front of her troops and surveyed them through bright eyes, "OK! Sasha is on hair duty, Lane you're with me on makeup, Paris I think you can handle nails, Sookie and April and Lily you are assigned flowers. Ok troops! Let us begin."

Rory looked around in mild alarm, "Should I be scared?"

"Terrified!" Lorelai grinned down at her and sat her firmly in front of the mirror.

What felt like hours later, Rory was standing in front of a full length mirror in awe and her mother was trying not to cry. Her almost waist length hair was left loose but had been flawlessly blow dried by Sasha to gleam and flow perfectly down her back. Her eyes shimmered with silver eye shadow, her lips were pink and shiny without looking fake. Her finger and toe nails had been manicured and glossed. A garland of tiny white roses, daisies and glossy ivy sat on her head.

Her dress was beautiful. Ivory satin hugged her figure to above her hips and then flowed subtly out to pool around her feet, short sleeves of pleated chiffon covered her shoulders and tiny, satin covered buttons ran from the top of the dress down to the small of her back.

Lane and Paris in simple knee length sheath dresses smiled at her from the door, Lorelai in her similar lilac dress hugged her daughter gently, "I'm so happy for you Rory." She said, teardrops clinging like little gems to her lashes. She sniffed loudly, "Well I guess it's time to go, everyone got their bouquets?" Lane, Paris and Lorelai picked up their honeysuckle posies and Rory collected her own bouquet; creamy roses in full bloom with deep green leaves wrapped in a matching ribbon. She stroked one soft, velvet petal and smiled.

Jess stood with Luke at his side at the gazebo in the town square. Most of the town, Rory's family, his family both blood and chosen were sat in rows and rows of little white chairs facing him, the aisle was strewn with flower petals thrown by April, Lily and Gigi with much gusto. Zach nodded once and began to play a soft melody on his old acoustic guitar. Lane and Paris walked slowly down the aisle, Lane's kids giggled and waved. Rory's maid of honour, Lorelai followed them soon after, smiling widely as tears flowed freely down her face.

The music swelled and everyone at the unspoken signal stood up and craned around to watch the bride. Jess turned and his face glowed with unrestrained joy. Luke, with eyes suspiciously moist, flicked his gaze between his nephew who looked happier than he thought was possible and the radiant woman he had watched grow had loved and had likened to a daughter.

Rory glided down the aisle. It was as though she was floating, her feet not touching the floor as she continued her journey. It wasn't a long aisle, but she felt his warm, brown eyes pulling her closer. There was hardly a dry eye among the congregation.

Finally she reached the front and stepped up the steps to her love. Jess gazed at her with utter wonder, "I love you." He whispered to her.

"I love you." She murmured back.

The reverend looked down at them. "Dearly beloved we are gathered here today to witness the joining of these two people in marriage. They stand before you today ready to declare their love and bind themselves together forever." He nodded at Jess.

Luke poked Jess in the side. Jess wrenched his gaze from Rory and took the simple silver band; "Rory, when we first met you saw straight through my bad boy façade and saw the real me, you were perhaps the only person I ever let see me truly. You not only saw the person I was, but also the person I could be. I wanted to be that person for you Rory. And then after everything you did for me, you did yet more. You loved me. I know there are people, who thought we would never be here, and I would have to count myself among them, there were times when I believed that it was impossible for this to ever happen. But it is happening. Lorelai Gilmore, in front of all these people I promise to respect you, care for you and love for you forever." He gently slid the ring onto her slim finger.

Rory, with tears sparkling in her sapphire eyes took the ring Lorelai was holding out to her. "Jess, you were always there for me. No matter what; you were there to support me and help me and if need be give me a good kick." A small snicker ran through the crowd, "You understood me, you knew me better than anyone and when I was with you I didn't have to be anything but myself. In the past we hurt each other, and although it pained me I cannot bring myself to regret anything that happened between us because it has brought us to this place. And now I'm standing here in the present with more joy in my heart than I thought any one person could ever feel in one moment and I'm looking into our future and I know that this is where I belong. With you; my rock, my friend, my love and my future. I love you Jess Mariano, and I know that I will always love you." She slipped the silver hoop onto his tanned finger.

The reverend smiled; "Rory and Jess have declared their love for each other in front of you here, if anyone had any reason to object to this union speak now." He paused and Jess breathed a sigh of relief when only silence greeted his ears. "Jess, do you take Rory to be you lawful wife, for better and worse, through sickness and in health, to respect and honour as long as you both live?"

Jess smiled at Rory, "I do." He said triumphantly.

The reverend turned to Rory, "Rory, do you take Jess to be you lawful husband, for better and worse, through sickness and in health, to respect and honour as long as you both live?"

Rory looked deep into his eyes and said clearly, "I do."

"I now pronounce you husband and wife, you may kiss the bride."

Rory beat Jess to it and flung her arms around his neck kissing him hard. Lorelai dissolved into tears, Paris and Lane were sobbing into their bouquets, Sookie was dabbing at her eyes, even Emily and Richard and Chris were crying softly, Barbette was in hysterics and Morey was patting her on the back.

Jess and Rory pulled apart and looked down at their friends and family before Jess tugged her into another kiss.

Then they were pulled into the crowd of people and passed form person to person being hugged and kissed and cried over. Jess kept a firm grip on Rory's hand and endured the excessive displays of emotion. Lorelai was the first to read them she engulfed them an enormous hug, Liz reached up and ruffled Jess's hair, Jimmy squeezed his shoulder awkwardly, Sasha thwacked him over the head crying; "I can't believe you left her Jess!", Chris hugged Rory once her mother had let her go, Miss Patty crushed them both against her chest, Kirk went in for a hug and Jess carefully steered them away only to be ambushed by a shrieking Lane.

After everyone had broken nearly every bone in the happy couple's bodies they all walked to the Dragonfly Inn, where the reception was taking place. Sookie had hurried ahead to oversee the catering.

The large events room was decorated with honeysuckle and roses all giving off a divine scent, large cream balloons and streamers were draped around the walls and on a large table at the back of the room stood the wedding cake. It had three tiers, all iced with white frosting and decorated with sugar flowers, the first, and largest tier was sponge filled with more butter cream and jam, the second was made of coffee cake and the third and final tier at the very top was also sponge but filled with marshmallowy goodness.

They all took their seats at the long table that ran along the side of the room, and began to demolish the delicious dishes Sookie had created.

Lane, using her microphone said, "Ladies and gentlemen… Mr and Mrs Mariano are about to dance their first dance and a married couple."

Jess led Rory onto the dance floor and pulled her closer, they began to sway to the music and he extended his arm spinning her out and around before bringing her back into his body. Rory laughed, practically radiating pure joy.

A little later Rory was attempting to keep in time as she and her father danced around the floor, Luke and Lorelai were waltzing, a sight that Jess never though he'd see. Jess was leaning against a wall sipping from one of the glasses of champagne when Kirk approached him.

"Jess," he said and Jess silently cursed every deity he could think of, "I understand that you are a more than acceptable lover." Jess choked on his champagne unfortunately this meant that he couldn't speak and so Kirk continued, "I came with a date and I was wondering if you would give me some tips, I am not very confident…"

Jess finally managed the blurt out some coherent word, "Kirk," he gasped, "If you don't leave me **right** now, so help me I will kill you with whatever comes to hand." Kirk hastily sidled away.

It was past midnight when Rory and Jess finally left the party, Taylor as always had gotten drunk and was telling everyone he knew about his career as a magician, Miss Patty and Babette were hiccupping softly in a corner and singing the star spangled banner, Kirk had disappeared with the unwitting female he had brought with him but Jess was firmly not thinking about that.

They arrived outside their hotel door both grinning happily and fairly tipsy on champagne. Suddenly Jess scooped Rory into his arms and opened the door. She squealed. "It is tradition!" he grinned. And then she pulled his face down to hers and kissed him passionately. Jess was quite enjoying married life so far.


	8. Home

Jess nudged the door open with his hip and dropped the suitcases in the hall then went back to meet Rory who was just coming up the stairs with a pile of mail. "Hey!" she cried when he picked her up and carried her over the threshold. "I thought that was just on the wedding night."

Jess smirked, "Well I wasn't sure whether it was the wedding night or any occasion involving a doorway and you know me, nothing if not thorough!" he kissed her quickly on the lips and deposited her on their bed.

Rory smiled radiantly up at him, their three week long honeymoon had left her with more freckled than ever and his own olive skin darkened a few shades. She still wore the braid she had got in her hair from Italy. Jess dumped the suitcases on the bed causing the mattress the bounce dangerously. "Jeez! These things weigh a ton!" he opened it, "Are you sure we really need all these books? We probably already have half of them."

"Yes!" she cried, "We do need these books, they are proper English version books! How could we not have a copy of Pride and Prejudice from England?"

Jess just grinned. They had spent one week in Italy, one in England touring the lakes and one final week in California were Rory had lived almost permanently under a wide brimmed hat trying to keep her face from burning. Jess had laughed at her as he lay stretched out in the sun but stopped laughing when she purposely dropped her ice cream, in a cone of course, on his back and then made him go and get her another.

Rory reached over to get the phone and pressed the little button to listen to their messages, Jess started to unpack throwing clothes and shoes over his shoulder but placing their new books on their bed in something close to reverence. "We've got about six from Mom each time telling us that she knows we're on our honeymoon but to call ASAP, two from some guy called Frank…Do you know a Frank?" Jess grunted, "And one more… oh this guy sounds mad… Oh! It's my boss."

She stared wide eyed at Jess who looked back confused, "He knew you were on your honeymoon right?"

"Yes! I told him like three months in advance. I better call him…"

Jess looked up and lunged for the phone. "NO! Remember, we're not technically back until tomorrow, tonight was supposed to be the last night of our honeymoon! NO PHONE CALLS!"

Rory sighed and surrendered the phone, "You're right, ok. I'm gonna go freshen up in the bathroom ok?" She kissed his cheek, bent to pick up her handbag and then closed the door of the bathroom.

Jess continued to unpack and then stopped, raised his eyes to the bathroom door and cursed his own stupidity. Jumping over the bed he banged on the door, "Rory! Get off your mobile! Rory!"

She came out of the bathroom phone pressed against her ear making little sushing motions with her hands. "No I get it Chris, I really do, but I'm on my honeymoon and I don't come back until Wednesday…Yes I know that's in two days…Well yes I am at home but…Chris I booked the time!" Jess sighed and leant against the wall as his wife bit her lip nervously "He asked for me personally? Couldn't we postpone until Wednesday? Well then he will have to make do with someone else doing the interview! I don't come back until Wednesday and I'm going out of town tomorrow! Look! In penance I will get an exclusive interview with this fantastic up and coming author on your desk by Friday ok? Jess Mariano, he wrote the Subsect." Jess started and stared at her wide eyed. "Yeah, he is my husband." Rory smiled at the word. "Alright see you Wednesday Chris."

"I beg your pardon?" Jess said carefully one eyebrow raised.

"Well if you prefer I can call Chris and just miss the last few days of our honeymoon or you can be a good husband and let me interview you!" She stared at him, one hand on her hip and her full lips pouting just enough.

Jess ran his hands through his hair, "Fine! Dammit! You know I can't resist the pout!"

Rory smiled and picked her way over a pile of clothes. She reached up and twisted her hands into his curly hair and whispered, "I know." Before standing on her tip toes and kissing him hard.

***

Rory knocked on the door of her childhood home, standing slightly behind her Jess laughed softly, "Still paranoid that you're going to walk in on them doing IT?" Rory didn't take her eyes of the shadow behind the frosted glass but she did reach out behind her and thwack him.

The door opened and Rory was engulfed in the huge whirlwind that was Lorelai emotional. "Who can this woman be?" she cried out when she and Rory separated and she could look into her face, "Could she possibly be my little loin fruit come to see her dearest Mama?" Lorelai turned to Jess and for one moment was perfectly still and then hugged him too almost crushing him, "Loin fruit's significant other! I should hate you for taking away my baby you know…"

"Guilty." Jess agreed before side stepping the female outpouring of affection and slipping into the living room. It was still girly and floral, the mantelpiece had more photographs on it now of Rory graduating, Lorelai and Luke's wedding day, his and Rory's wedding day, Rory as a baby, April, Jess Rory, Luke and Lorelai all grinning at Christmas all wearing brightly coloured paper hats.

They all sat down and the happy couple gave an in depth description of their honeymoon, although Jess and Rory tried to keep it free of anything that could cause Lorelai to cry out her favourite catchphrase she still managed to slip at least half a dozen 'Dirty!'s in.

"But the really big question is…" Lorelai said, "Did you get ME anything!!??"

Rory pulled out a paper bag and Lorelai screamed gleefully and pulled out the crystal necklace they had got her from Italy, the creamy cardigan from England and the huge hat from California. Luke grinned over his wooden tool box and traditional English recipe book.

Lorelai filled her cup with coffee again and turned expectantly to Rory. "Do you know what is happening tonight?"

Rory shook her head and Luke groaned softly. Jess looked over and mouthed "What?" Luke just shook his head and shut his eyes.

"Miss Patty's show!!" Lorelai cried out! And Rory shrieked with delight.

And so it was that Jess and Luke found themselves in Miss Patty's dance studio while Rory, Lorelai and Sookie waited with barely contained excitement. Jess bit his lip when the ballerinas danced; he tried half-heartedly not to laugh when the girl dropped her baton but Kirk coming on and doing his mime was the straw that broke the camels back and he had to stand up and leave.

Rory slipped outside and affectionately brushed the glitter out of his hair. "After a display like that I think I should be allowed to call this town a science experiment gone horribly wrong!"

"Hey! I was born and bred in this town!" Rory cried with mock outrage.

"Point proven." Jess said and kissed her quickly before she could retort.

"Jeez guys! What's with the PDA's?" Lorelai howled. Jess raised his head to reply that he was married ad perfectly entitled to kiss his wife if he so chose to do so and he didn't complain (much, but then what is much) when Lorelai was all over Luke in the diner but he couldn't because as soon as his face was in range he was blinded by the huge shower of glitter that Lorelai hurled at him.


	9. Housekeeping

Housekeeping

Rory Gilmore was sitting at her cubicle wishing that she could actually concentrate on her article. She had been back at work for four months but was still experiencing what could only be described as withdrawal symptoms from her husband. "Gilmore!" Rory didn't look up, the again louder, "Gilmore!" She remembered again that she was keeping her maiden name for work and her head jerked up, "How's that article coming?" called Chris. She nodded her head and called out something to satisfy him although she wasn't entirely sure exactly what she had said it had clearly achieved her goal as Chris then strode off to berate Jenny for her tardiness.

A little window popped up in the corner of her computer screen and a cheerful ping sounded. Rory clicked on the rectangle and a small instant messaging window expanded on her screen.

Mariano says

Darling wife of mine!

Lorelai Gilmore says

What do you want? I'm very busy you know! : P

Mariano says

Well don't I feel important; I'm just your husband you know!

Lorelai Gilmore says

You know what I was just thinking?

Mariano says

Something dirty?

Lorelai Gilmore says

NO!

Mariano says

Ok so maybe you weren't thinking something dirty then… but I'd bet my Hemmingways that you are now.

Rory ducked her head and hoped that her hair was hiding the blush that painted her cheeks. She really didn't need her next-cubicle-neighbour noticing her blush. Carmen jumped on any scrap of gossip. The computer pinged again.

Mariano says

Haha! I was right!

Lorelai Gilmore says

Don't you have a business to run or something?

Mariano says

Just missing you is all.

Lorelai Gilmore says

Miss you too. I'm leaving early today.

Mariano says

Yay! Since when?

Lorelai Gilmore says

Since now, that is if I can get a bit of peace and quiet so I can finish this article…

Marino says

Am zipping it now. See you soon. X

Lorelai Gilmore Says

X

A few hours later Rory slipped into the bookshop, Jess hurriedly handed the customer his change and swerved around the counter to meet Rory half way across the floor. The man looked a little shocked as he left the shop, skirting around Rory and Jess where they were kissing furiously. Jess broke the kiss long enough to flip the sign on the door to say closed.

"You're closing early today?" Rory asked

"Yup." Jess said as he switched off the lights.

"Since when?"

"Since now." Jess grinned and pulled Rory up to their apartment. Not that she took much pulling she was moving pretty quickly too.

Jess had just set her down on their bed when the phone began to ring. "Ignore it." He murmured against her neck but when the shrill tones of Emily Gilmore permeated the room Rory was up like a shot. Jess sighed, "It's like that woman has built in radar or something!"

Rory scooped up the phone, "Grandma? Sorry, I couldn't reach the phone I've only just got in."

Emily sounded even more piercing than usual. "Rory? Oh Rory! Thank goodness you're there. I need a favour."

"Sure Grandma, what's up?"

"Well your grandfather and I are going to Washington DC for the weekend for a DAR function but I just had to get rid of Juanita, you'd think the woman had never seen a duster before in her life! Anyway there's no one to watch the house and I was wondering if you could come up and just stay Friday and Saturday night, I'd feel so much easier if I knew the house wasn't empty. Of course should anything happen there is a panic room in the basement and the code is… have you got a pen?" Emily did not wait for Rory to get a pen. "It is 11111."

Rory rolled her eyes. "Sure Grandma, Jess and I'll come over Friday night. What time are you leaving?"

"We're leaving the house at six o'clock to get some ridiculously late plane." In the background Rory heard her grandfather say something, "No I cannot sleep on the plane Richard! Anyway, I have to get back to packing! Thank you so much Rory! I'll see you tomorrow! Juanita stop crying!" the line went dead.

"I beg your pardon! I am not going anywhere near your grandmother!" came Jess's voice from across the room.

"Relax you big baby! I just said we'd house sit for them. We can get there for six tomorrow can't we?" The fact that Jess would not have to spend time with Emily had finally sunk into his head and his face relaxed. And then all he could concentrate was Rory kissing him.

They pulled up to the Gilmore house at five minutes to six. Jess took ages getting their overnight bags out of the trunk and then walked slowly towards the door. Rory tutted. "What?" Jess said, "If I go slowly then I may not actually have to converse with them at all!"

"They're my grandparents you could at least be civil!"

"I'm always civil, at least to their faces. What they don't know won't hurt them."

Rory rang the door bell and was greeted by a frazzled Emily. Richard slipped past with a suitcase in each hand and nodded towards Rory and Jess as he made his way to the car. Emily was quickly thanking Rory and bumping into Jess and the door was shut, the grandparents were on the other side of the door and everything was freakishly quiet.

Half an hour later Rory and Jess were sitting cross-legged on the priceless carpet eating pizza from the box, drinking soda and coming dangerously close to dropping fries on the floor. Since Luke had been getting at them to eat more healthily they had also put a very, very small bowl of sliced cucumber on the middle. Neither of them had eaten from it, they would later say that they were just too full, they both knew they would, they had done the same thing every night for two weeks.

Rory was sitting on the floor, leaning comfortably against Jess's legs, he was sitting on the couch reading his latest book. Rory was re-reading the Fountainhead for the umpteenth time.

Jess grinned down at his wife. She was biting her lower lip gently as her eyes scanned the page. A lock of hair kept falling in front of her eyes and Rory had to keep tucking it behind her ear. She was so beautiful. He leant down and stroked her hair. Rory smiled and turned her head towards him.

Jess leant down and pulled her up for a kiss. Rory kissed him back and then pulled back. "Jess…no."

"Oh come on Rory, it's probably the first time this couch has ever seen any action."

Rory chuckled, "Yeah you say that, but there is a serious chance that this is the very couch where I was conceived."

Jess yelled and jumped up looking horrified. Rory collapsed in a fit of giggles.


	10. Doubt

Rory lay in bed and pulled the duvet cover over her head and called out sleepily "Coffee!" Her husband grinned in their little kitchen and flicked the coffee machine on and put two pop tarts in the toaster.

When Rory plodded into the kitchen rubbing her bleary eyes she pounced on the cup of dark liquid and drained it with delight. The transformation was incredible and immediate, her eyes brightened and she straightened her back. Bouncing into Jess's arms she sighed contentedly as he hugged her and tenderly ruffled her mussed hair and dropped a kiss on her head. Then she moaned. Jess pulled back to look down at her face. "What's up?"

Rory just shook her head.

"Talk." He said and tightened his hold on her very slightly. Rory sank into his warm embrace.

"Don't wanna." She mumbled.

"We're terribly articulate this morning aren't we?" he teased.

"I don't wanna go to work."

"Why? You love your work! It's weird!"

"I feel funny." She mumbled and turned her head into Jess's soft t-shirt.

"Funny ha ha? Or funny peculiar? Are you not well?" he asked concerned.

Rory just shrugged. "I'm fine. Dibs on the shower!"

Jess smiled and she hurried to the bathroom.

***

Rory sat in her cubicle sipping tea and re-reading her newest article but her mind kept wandering. She still felt slightly nauseous but so far had dismissed it as a bug or something. Then she stopped and gasped. And frantically began counting in her head. She gasped again. Abruptly she stood up and called out that she was going on her lunch break. She sat on the subway her mind whirling, she couldn't be, but what about, it's was ridiculous, but the again. She nearly missed her stop but stood up quickly and found herself in front of the hospital. As she stood in the elevator she realised she could have just bought a test from the drug store but she wanted to be absolutely, 100 percent, without a shadow of a doubt sure. The lift doors slid open and a cool clear voice proclaimed her location. "Yeah, like I didn't already know!" she muttered and walked out into the sterilised corridor.

***

Jess wandered out of the lift and peered through the glass wall looking for his wife. Rory squealed excitedly and jumped up from her desk. She had spent the last two hours sitting at her desk, getting up and going to the bathroom to stare in the mirror, scrolling through her mobile phone's phonebook going back to her desk and then repeating the whole process all over again. She barrelled through the door and threw herself at Jess, the lift doors where still opened Jess stumbled back under the force of her excited outpouring of affection. He fell down onto the floor of the lift and Rory landed giggling on top of him. "Woah!" he gasped "What's up?"

Rory smiled, "We're pregnant!" she cried breathlessly.

Jess's dark eyes widened, "Are you kidding?!" Rory shook her head and watched his face carefully to gauge his reaction. Jess whooped and pulled her face down for a fierce kiss. The lift doors opened and a suited man walked in, he gazed down at the people on the floor and froze, the doors slid shut and Rory and Jess burst into hysterics. Jess helped Rory up and hugged her quickly, "I love you so much." He murmured into her hair.

Rory grinned and rested a hand on her stomach. "Two months!"

"Wow!" Jess breathed as he merged their fingers together. "Our baby."

"So, how come you're here?" Rory asked him.

"Well, you said you weren't feeling well so I thought I'd come and take you home."

"Awww, aren't you a sweetheart!" she said and snuggled closer glad of his body heat, the October air was chill against her.

"Sweetheart?" he asked, his signature half smile on his face.

"Must be getting maternal!" she said happily.

***

"I don't want to be anywhere near Lorelai when she finds out!" Jess said real fear in his eyes.

"We're married Jess." Rory said as they drove up to Stars Hollow.

"You think that that will stop her? I'll be torn to shreds!"

They pulled up next to Luke's diner, it was relatively empty. Lorelai was sitting at her favourite table near the window and Luke was pouring her another cup of coffee and smiling as she chattered away. When the door opened and Rory and Jess sidled in Lorelaisprang to her feet and enveloped her daughter in a huge hug. "You never give me any warning! Hun! I'm so pleased to see you! Are you staying over? Upstairs is all furnished if you are. We could do a movie night! I've been waiting to watch Willy Wonka with you for ages!"

Rory waited until Lorelai paused to draw breath and said, "Mom, I've got some great news! Well _we_ have got some great news." She smiled at Jess who smiled tightly back. "I'm pregnant."

Lorelai was struck dumb. "Should we call the emergency services?" Jess whispered to Rory after a while.

Luke emerged from the kitchen and looked at his wife. "What happened here?"

Lorelai turned to him, a huge grin spreading across her face. "Rory's pregnant!"

Luke frowned, "That little punk knocked her up?"

"Hey!" Jess cried out, "We _are _married!"

Lorelai pulled the both of them into a tight hug. "What did the news people say?" Rory and Jess gazed back nonplussed, "Well a virgin birth doesn't come along everyday you know!"

Jess raised both his eyebrows, "They said 'Pull another, that's got bells on'!"

Rory giggled and hugged her mom again. Luke immediately said that she could not have any more coffee and Jess just smiled.

***

It was about half eleven at night when Jess knocked gently on Lorelai and Luke's front door. It wasn't locked so he walked inside and looked around. The house was dark but there was a soft glow coming form the kitchen. Someone was up. He peered around and saw Lorelai sitting at the table in her pyjamas. She looked up, "Jess!" she said surprised, "What are you doing here?"

Jess just sat down and examined the lines on his palm. Lorelai uncharacteristically remained quiet, waiting for him to talk. "What if I'm no good?" Jess asked despairingly. "I never had a dad, how am I going to be able to look after a baby? I've only recently started looked after me! What if I mess up? What if I hurt the baby? What if I hurt Rory? I can't…" he trailed off and Lorelai caught a glimpse of moisture brimming up in his dark eyes. "I'm afraid." He whispered.

"Hey, it's ok to be afraid." She said softly, reaching out and taking his hand. "It's normal to feel afraid, to feel doubtful. But I know that you're going to be a fantastic father."

Jess looked at her, "How do you know?"

"You are always there when you need to be. When Rory dropped out of Yale nothing anyone said could help her, and then you came back and you yelled at her. You told her what she needed to hear, not what she wanted to hear. That's what parents do. If I didn't think you would be good for Rory or for any of your kids, I wouldn't have let you marry her. I would have stopped it, she would have stopped it. But she knows _you_ Jess. She has faith in you. I have faith in you. You just need to have faith in yourself. It's not going to be easy, I'm not saying that, but I know you can do it." She smiled and Jess nodded, smiling back.

***

The next morning Lorelai burst into the apartment above the diner waking up the two sleepers. "They're back!" she shrieked.

"What are you on about?" Jess mumbled sleepily.

Lorelai pulled them both out of bed, Rory stood looking bewildered in one of Jess's shirts and a pair of pyjama pants with cupcakes on, Lorelai threw a t-shirt at Jess who was just wearing stripy pants and pushed them both down the stairs. In the diner sat the usual customers all sporting pink or blue ribbons.

A huge cheer of "Congratulations!" rang out.

"What the…" Jess said eyeing the ribbons in disbelief.

"Blue for a boy, and pink for a girl!" Miss Patty cried pointing at her own pink ribbon.

Kirk grinned from the counter he was wearing a pink and a blue ribbon. "I don't know how one goes about guessing these things so to be safe I put on one of each." He held out a box full of ribbons, "Taylor made me chief distributor. What colour do you want?"

Rory snatched the ribbons from him and stalked out of the diner into Doose's. Jess followed looking forward to watching Taylor being verbally beaten up by a woman wearing cupcake pyjamas.

Kirk looked questioningly at Lorelai. "Hormones." She said conspiratorially. "I'll take a pink please."


	11. Craving

"And although some women have called it the most meaningful experience in their lives I would akin it more to doing the splits on a box of…"

"What the hell?" Jess yelled.

"Hey I was in the middle of something, Jess!" Lorelai said.

"Yeah, my bed!"

"That is ridiculous! I am at the edge of your bed, the very edge, in fact you should move over 'cos you're taking up at least half of the bed which is just selfish because there are three of us here!"

"Since when did our marriage become French, Rory?"

"Sorry it's a tradition." She said from her spot between Lorelai and Jess.

"It's traditional for the husband to wake up and randomly find that the mother-in-law is in his bed?" He said sceptically.

"Well, I am also your aunt."

"Ew!" Rory said, "I try not to think about that!"

"What? That you're carrying your step-cousins child?" Lorelai said.

"EW!" Rory said again.

"Well, your kid is going to have weird issues because you know the deal with your great grandmother!"

Jess who had covered his face with a pillow sat up and looked at her, "What is the deal?"

"Rory's great grandmother married her second cousin!" Lorelai said.

"What did I marry into?" he said and covered his face with the pillow. "Lorelai, I never thought I would ever have to say this, but get out of my bed! Now!"

Lorelai laughed and left. He heard the coffee machine being turned on and then a scream while she tried to find the coffee.

"It isn't there!" Jess called out, and the turned to Rory who was still lying in bed. "Why is your mother here?"

"Well, every birthday she comes and lies down with me and re-tells the story of my birth."

"Rory, your birthday was over a month ago."

"Now I'm pregnant she seems to want to re-tell it a lot more often, it isn't very comforting."

Jess wandered into the kitchen, now fully awake and attired, to hear Lorelai's exultant cry. "Ah ha!" she said pointing at him and waving the bag of coffee in the other hand, "In the tea tin! Very clever! But no match for me!"

"Come on Lorelai, this is your grandchild! Do you want it to be hideously deformed?"

"Eh, no one will notice the deformities! The kid'll have Rory's eyes and so no one will be looking anywhere else. If it's lucky it'll have three eyes!"

Rory came into the kitchen, "You found it!" she cried looking at the dark liquid brewing in the machine, "I've been looking for three days!" Jess sighed in defeat as she grabbed the cup and sniffed deeply. "Heavenly." She took a long glup, and then spat it out into the sink. "What is with that coffee?"

Lorelai looked confused and gingerly took a sip from her own cup, "Nothing kiddo, it's fine." She picked up Rory's cup and sipped from that too, "This one is fine too."

"It tasted nasty to me, made me feel sick!" she said eyeing the coffee as if it might at any point jump up with a kitchen knife and try to kill her.

Jess looked triumphant, "While you're pregnant you go off some foods right?"

Lorelai nodded, "I couldn't eat anything that had salt on, it was weird."

"And you can't drink coffee!" Jess said grinning at Rory.

"No need to sound so jubilant." She sulked. "Mom and I are going pregnancy clothes shopping. We're going to get a nice dress for tonight ok? I can't fit into my other ones."

It was true that at four months Rory was beginning to show, she couldn't fit into her jeans anymore. Jess nodded and poured the coffee down the sink, still smiling.

***

Rory sat in a meeting at the paper on Monday morning. She normally paid absolute attention to what was being said remembering any important points and several unimportant ones, but today her mind kept drifting. She didn't know what was wrong with her but no matter how hard she tried to concentrate her thoughts always drifted back to Jess. It wasn't unusual for her to think about her husband often, even after being married for over a year, and together for about three she and Jess were still in the blissful state of teenage love, where every little touch was electric and they playfully flirted with each other.

But today she could think of nothing else.

Rory had got home quite late, she had a deadline and her constantly wandering thoughts had slowed her down considerably. Now she was curled on the sofa with the TV flickering in front of her but her eyes were on Jess as he sat in his favourite armchair doing the shops accounts. She giggled inwardly at the way his brow furrowed slightly as he concentrated, she admired how dark his skin looked against the white of his shirt, she smiled at his wayward curls and imagined running her fingers through them. What was wrong with her? She was acting like a sixteen year old girl with a secret crush rather then a married woman in the family way.

Jess stood up and stretched and Rory snapped. She got up as fast as she could and cut Jess off on his way to the kitchen.

"Rory? What the…" But Jess was cut short as Rory pulled his head down to press her lips against his. He grinned rakishly when she came up for air. "What was that for?"

"Um…" Rory mumbled something.

"What was that?"

"I have a craving of sorts…"

"Ok, what do you want?" Jess said going towards the kitchen? "Are you still in the tomato soup stage? Or have we moved on?"

"I'm not hungry Jess." Rory said blushing bright red.

"Then what do you want?" He said.

"You." She whispered.

"I'm here." He smiled and ruffled her hair. Then he saw her expression. "Oh." And then he tried not to fall over when Rory all but dragged him into their room.

***

Jess was fast asleep, comfortably curled up in bed, Rory snuggled up next to him. Then a persistent prodding woke him up. He groaned and rolled over to go back to sleep but the prodding continued.

"Whaddya want?" Jess mumbled.

"Have we got any chicken korma?" Rory whispered.

Jess sighed and reached down for the jeans and hooded top that he now kept permanently by their bed for eventualities such as this.

He was shuffling to their door when Rory called, "And some chocolate cake with marshmallows on top and some cheesy biscuits! Please! Thank you!"

"That woman has the weirdest cravings at the weirdest times." Mumbled Jess as he let himself out to walk the know very familiar walk to the twenty four hour mini-mart.


	12. Thanks

Rory sighed as she pushed the door open with her back her arms full with a large cardboard box. Jess hurried over to her, "Give me that."

Rory scowled. "I'm pregnant not crippled!" she snapped. Jess pulled back his outstretched hands. Rory shook her head. "I'm sorry. Jess. I'm really sorry. It's just you know."

"Hormones."

She nodded. "I just… I'm excited about the baby! But I hate just sitting here waiting to pop."

Jess laughed. "Pop? You do know how babies are born right?"

Rory raised her arm and then let it fall. "I'm too pregnant to hit you."

Jess laughed and hugged her from behind kissing gently. "How was your last day?"

"It was nice. Kerry bought me cupcakes. I ate about seven."

They sat on their sofa, Rory's legs thrown over Jess's lap. Jess kneaded her feet in the fluffy knee high socks she now wore constantly. Rory was reading to her stomach. She had been doing this for the past month or so of the pregnancy working her way through Shakespeare's sonnets because she liked the rhythm. Lorelai had said it was weird and insisted on reading '_The ning, nong, nang_' to the baby.

Rory shuffled around and then swung her legs off the sofa standing up and rubbing her back. "You ok?"

She nodded. "I'm ready to not be pregnant now."

Jess smiled up at her from where he sat on the sofa. "Hey Rory?"

"Yeah?"

"You're beautiful."

Rory smiled, "I'm hormonal you'll make me cry!"

Jess stood up. "You look radiant, glowing, gorgeous and absolutely beautiful." Rory grinned and pirouetted then stopped suddenly gasping. Jess was at her side in a second. "Rory? Rory! You ok?"

Rory gasped again. "I think the baby's coming!" she cried. They looked at each other for a moment both speechless and then began to gabble at once.

"I'll get the bag!"

"I've gotta call my mom!"

"Quick, coat! It's cold!"

"Have you got the keys?"

Jess finished wrapping a scarf around his neck, Rory's overnight bag in one hand, the key's to Lorelai's car, which she had lent them for just such a moment, in the other. Rory stopped at the doorframe. "What?" he asked.

Rory looked up at him, her face alight her eyes glowing. "It's really happening."

Jess grinned a smile that lit up his whole face "I know. We're going to have a baby!" Rory pulled his curly head down for a kiss.

Lorelai burst into the maternity ward. "Hi! My daughter's having a baby! Where is she? Can I see her?"

Luke hurried in after her. "I'm so sorry." He apologised to the slightly shell shocked looking nurse. "Um Lorelai Mariano? Came in about two hours ago?"

The nurse checked her clip board. "First time?" she asked. Lorelai nodded frantically her bobble hat almost falling off. "Room 78, just on your left."

Rory was sitting in the bed sipping ice chips when Lorelai flew in like a tornado of motherly affection. "Mom!" Rory cried throwing her arms around her.

"Hey babe. How's it going?"

"The doctors say it's going really well." Jess said.

Lorelai fixed him with an almost manic gaze. "Jess!" he was squashed too. "How are you doing."

Jess's nervousness showed in his lack of a witty quip. He just nodded. "Good. Really good."

Rory suddenly cried out again in pain. Lorelai was at her right, Jess her left both gripping her hands tightly. Luke settled himself in one of the chairs in the corner placing the huge bouquet of sunflowers on the side table.

The hours passed by, Lorelai drinking insane amounts of the vile coffee, Luke calling Sookie and Jackson, Lizzie and TJ, Emily and Richard and Lane and Zack. All of them promised to be there ASAP and soon the waiting room was almost overflowing.

The midwife came in periodically to see how Rory was doing. Rory groaned again. "If you ever, EVER think you are EVER touching me again Jess Mariano you have got another thing coming!"

Jess looked suitably repentant. The midwife smiled, "They all say that, sweetie." She reassured him. All righty Mrs Mariano looks like we're good to go to the delivary room."

Rory looked at her husband all her anger suddenly dissipated. "You're coming in too aren't you?" she asked, fear in her blue eyes.

Jess kissed her forehead. "With you all the way, Rory."

It all passed in something of a blur. Rory crying out with pain and the contractions came in one steady stream. Jess sitting on the bed behind her, bracketing her body with his lending her his strength and then suddenly they were handing her an impossibly small bundle. Jess started down in rapture at his daughter.

She wiggled a little then opened her lids revealing, as Jess had always known she would, a pair of beautiful sapphire eyes. "Look what you did." He breathed.

"Look what _we_ did." She said pressing a kiss to the silky soft curls on her head.

They took mother and daughter back to their room and settled them into the bed, carefully tucking the blankets around them. Jess settled himself next to Rory and their sleepy daughter. He very gently stroked her nose with his forefinger. "Look at her fingers!" Rory said in wonder. Jess uncurled her fist marvelling at the tiny fingernails then she wrapped her fingers around his little finger so tight. Jess's breath caught in his throat and the tears he had been trying so hard to hold back over spilled. Rory looked up at him, "Are you crying?" she said her own eyes shimmering. She brushed the tear away with her thumb.

"Can we come in?" Lorelai whispered, poking her head around the door. Rory nodded and gestured them to enter with her free arm.

Lorelai tiptoed in. "Oh!" she gasped tears of her own running freely down her face.

"D'you wanna hold her?" Rory asked.

Miracles do happen. Lorelai was lost for words. Very carefully Rory placed her daughter in her grandmother's arm. The sleeping baby was passed around the hushed crowd and then placed back in Jess's arms. He was surprised at how natural it felt to hold her, how right it was. Like the first time he and Rory had kissed. That gut feeling that this, _this_ right here, was what it was all about.

"Have you got a name?" Liz asked.

Jess glanced at Rory, still snuggled up next to him, she nodded at him. "World… meet Lorelai Elizabeth Mariano. Lora… meet the world."

"Lora!" the room at large cooed. Her two grandmothers teared up again. A nurse slipped in. "Shall we take her to the nursery to let the mommy get some sleep?" she asked.

Rory nodded. "Ok. I'll see you soon, Lora." She whispered.

Everyone filed out leaving Rory and Jess alone. Rory sighed, "That was really hard work. Mom was right, splits over a crate of dynamite!" she yawned.

Jess smiled softly. "You should get some sleep." He said disengaging himself from her arms.

Rory nodded, her eyes already closing. "Will you be here when I wake up?" she asked plaintively.

"Me or your mom. I promise. I just wanna pop out for something." Rory was already asleep. Jess smoothed her hair back from her forehead. "Love you, Rory."

Jess wandered down a corridor his hands in his pockets, passing other nervous looking fathers-to-be and exultant just-fathers. Lorelai was standing by a large window gazing in at Lora Mariano. Jess stopped by her and was once again struck by utter wonder. "You did good, Jess." Lorelai murmured, "You did real good."

"Yeah." He said. "She's just…. Perfect."

Lorelai smiled at him. "It never goes away you know." She said. He tore his eyes away from his sleeping daughter. "That feeling. That wonder. I still feel it every time I see Rory."

Jess hugged her quickly. "You're going to be the best Grandma ever." He said. Lorelai wiped her eyes on her sleeves. "Look, I need you to do me a favour. Can you sit with Rory? I wanna go and pick something up."

Lorelai nodded. "Of course!" and with a final long gaze at Lora she made her way back to Rory's room.

Jess rested his palms on the ledge. "I was half afraid I wouldn't know what to do with you when you came." He said softly through the glass. "I so badly didn't want to screw this up. I should have realized loving you was instinctive. I love you, Lora."

When Rory woke up her room resembled a florist's. Bunches of bright blooms of every hue of pink, orange, red and purple covered every available surface. On her bedside table was a pile of chocolate boxes, some already open. Rory smiled at herself. Chocolate was one of Mom's serious weaknesses.

There was a knock at the door. "Yeah?" she called out.

Jess sidled in, one hand behind his back. "Hey, Rory."

She sat up. "C'mere you." Jess grinned and bent down kissing her hard.

"Got something for you." He said pulling out a single, perfectly formed cream rose and then handing her a small box.

"What's this?" she asked placing the rose on the bedspread.

"Open it." He said.

She did so. "Oh Jess!" inside was a simple silver chain with a single lustrous pearl hanging off it.

"Thank you." He said sincerely. And Rory knew exactly what he meant.

Thank you for loving me.

Thank you for laughing with me.

Thank you for working with me when things go tough and basking with me when things were perfect.

And thank you for this miracle you gave me.

She knew exactly what he meant, because she meant the same things.


	13. Epilogue

Epilogue

The door bell rang. "He's here!" Ethan and Jacob chorused together. Running to their sister's room and bursting in.

"Knock you guys!" Lora yelled at them throwing a pot of lip gloss in their direction.

Rory turned around from the bed where half the contents of Lora's wardrobe was now strewn. "Boys. What have we said?" she said her hands on her hips.

"Sorry Mom!" they said jumping up and down.

"Up or down?" Lora turned to her mother her hands gesturing to her hair.

"Down." Rory said running a brush through her daughter's luscious, dark curls.

Her similarly curly, dark headed husband appeared in the doorway standing beside their identically curly haired sons. "Nope!" Jess said. "I'm sorry, this is not OK! Where the heck is my four year old daughter?"

Lora stood up and smoothed the skirt if her knee length, full skirted dress. "What do you think Dad?" she asked in all seriousness.

Jess grinned, "You look beautiful, angel."

Rory smiled. Jess showered endearments on their children. Lora was his angel, his sweetheart, his baby. The twins, Ethan and Jacob were 'troublemakers' and 'hooligans'. But he never called her anything but Rory. But from his lips it sounded like the sweetest of endearments.

Lora took the leather jacket her mother had picked out for her and bent to tie the laces of her shoes. Lora had developed her own unique style in her dress sense as in everything else. She had paired the formal red cocktail dress with her black Converse trainers and biker jacket.

The whole Mariano clan trooped downstairs and Jess insisted on being the one to open the door. A young teenager was shuffling on the front step. "Mr Mariano." He said sticking out his hand. Jess took it. And Rory nudged Lora grinning approvingly.

Lora hurried over to her date who stared at her. "Wow." He said simply.

Lora blushed, pleased. "Home by midnight." Jess said sternly.

Lora and her date nodded already half way out of the door. "Nice to meet you Mr and Mrs Mariano!" they boy called over his shoulder as the young couple headed towards his car.

"Our baby's first dance." Rory said. "I'm gonna cry!"

"Don't you start!" Jess warned still watching the tail lights drive down the road. "I am so not okay with this." He said shaking his head. "This is just so wrong. Lora's still a little girl!"

Rory came over and hugged him. Ethan and Jacob made identical ew faces in true eleven year old style and trooped upstairs. "Hate to break it to you, Jess, but she's sixteen! About the same age I was when I met you."

"I was a nightmare! It was a wonder your mom didn't just lock you in a tower somewhere!"

"At least he didn't show up on a motorbike." Rory offered as her hand moved to fiddle with one of her pearl earings, the set that Jess had bought for her when she had given birth to the twins.

"How are you handling this so well?" Jess demanded.

"Handling? I'm a nervous wreck!" Rory laughed.

Jess laughed and kissed her full on the mouth. Rory sighed and reached up with pliant arms to twist her fingers in his thick hair.

"EWWWW!" Ethan and Jacob chorused. "Get a room!"

Rory broke away twisting around. "Where did you learn that!" she cried out. "Oh I'm gonna kill Mom!"

_A/N_

_Hey! First of all I would like to apologise for taking so long to finish this story! My other stories and that annoying thing called real life got in the way. But here it is. All done. So thanks for all of you who've read this story, those of you who's reviewed it and shared your thoughts with me and those of you who have added it to your alerts because it really means the world when you know people want the next instalment of something that you've crafted. And finally thanks to Amy Sherman for creating the fabulous characters to play with and especially the delicious Jess!_

_X_


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